Having previously been an absolute beer fan, I've thoroughly enjoyed exploring London's pub map. I've done many famous ale trails - beer trails where you explore an area of the city through visits to the most famous pubs. My fondest memory of one of these "trails" was a final visit to The Crown Tavern pub, located next to the Karl Marx Memorial Library. I was, of course, unaware that local communists liked to go there. And so, after a pint or three, I found myself arguing vehemently with one such rare follower of the belief in Lenin's ideals, who chided me that I and other "Soviets" had, to put it mildly, missed the chance to build a great communism. The conversation was hard, but the journey home was even harder because British Marxists rejected the cult of food and were very active in consuming ale without any snacks.

In fact, on the border of Clerkenwell and Holborn is another of my favourite traditional pubs, the Cittie of Yorke. Huge ceilings, massive wooden booths and an emphasis on conservatism in detail, coupled with a great range of ales and bitters, it's definitely recommended to a keen drinker.

Another pub I respect is Princess Louise, which surprisingly is also located in the Holborn area, moreover on the same High Holborn Street as Cittie of Yorke. It's a place of strength for lovers of Samuel Smith Brewery's Yorkshire ales. I used to have a huge fondness for their Sovereign bitter and so I used to frequent The Princess. The pub is notable for its sectional structure: visitors are not in the same room as in most establishments, but have access to one of the four sides of the square bar, where there are partitions with stunning mirrors and stained glass windows between the sections.

The Lyric, Soho is one of the smallest (if you don't take the second floor dining area) pubs I've been to in the city centre, making up for its small size with a chic line-up of taps and a very sociable and fun staff. Here, for example, there were always funny notes on the tip mugs, like Every time you tip, a part of Justin Bieber dies.

I remember spending my first or second day in the London office 11 years ago, I asked my English colleague to show me a pub somewhere nearby and he took me to The Barrowboy & Banker on London Bridge. It's not London's coolest or most historic pub, but I still love it fondly for exactly those first impressions. When you approach from the side of the bridge on a Friday lunchtime and hear a chorus of voices from afar, and then you see a natural buzzing hive. All the windowsills, pedestals and even the pavement around the pub are stacked with glasses, and you open the door and find yourself in a room packed like a concert hall with a full sold-out crowd, where the noise is such that you have to yell your order into the barman's ear. For a long time, The Barrowboy and Banker has been a must-stop for me on every trip - as a personal tribute to tradition. Plus it's close to Borough Market, and I've often combined weekend shopping with a pint of fullers on the way out.

Captain Kidd, Wapping - the gem of the place is the view of the Thames and the Hanging Dock from the terrace of the pub, which is tucked away in an area not spoilt by crowds of tourists, although it's literally a couple of miles from the bustling Tower and St Catherine's Docks.